Competition is the name of the game in our woodlands. Trees are competing against each other for nutrients. Wildlife are competing for food. Our own desires for our woods can compete against each other. However, you will most likely want to get a variety of things out of your woods (firewood, wildlife, recreation). Understanding what […]
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Splitting Firewood with Power
Hydraulic log splitters are great tools for making your firewood production fast and efficient. However, a plan needs to be developed on how it will be used to ensure safe operation. For most of my life, I have been a maul man. I thoroughly enjoy and get much satisfaction from splitting rounds with a maul. […]
Selecting Trees for Planting
If you are thinking of planting trees, fall is the time to start planning for that project. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and private tree nurseries start taking orders in the fall (and specifically October for the DNR) for the spring planting season, and they do sell out. More details on how to […]
Brush piles for better wildlife habitat
Use the small branches and tops for wildlife habitat rather than firewood. It was many moons ago, that an argument took place in the woodlot that changed forever how we utilize the wood from the trees we fell. I was in my early years of tree felling and processing, and so was still taking advice […]
Stackology – The art and science of stacking firewood
It is not often that my trusty assistant (who shall remain nameless) and I get into arguments, but the stacking of split wood for drying is one place we constantly butt heads. He argues that the way they have always stacked wood has worked just fine, so why change. To which I counter that he […]
What are my Trees Worth?
There are a number of factors that play into what someone is willing to pay for the trees on your property. I just finished a series of classes for woodland owners on a variety of topics, and one topic that continued to be of interest to the participants was the value of trees. Specifically, they […]
An introduction to agroforestry
In an earlier post, I introduced the concept of agroforestry. In this post, I will expand on what agroforestry is, and how it is being used here in Wisconsin. Although this post may seem very agricultural centered, I should point out a few things. One, many woodlots are associated with farmsteads, and are not seen […]
Trees and fences and good neighbors
The ownership of trees that grow on property lines and those that fall across property lines can be contentious, but there are ways to simply and easily resolve this. I am occasionally asked questions by woodland owners that stump me. One is about trees that have fallen or were blown down onto a neighbor’s property. […]
Ode to a clearcut
Clearcutting is one of several harvesting systems utilized in the state to achieve certain goals create conditions to favor certain tree and wildlife species. When done correctly, they can maintain the long term sustainability of a forest. If you hadn’t already guessed it, I am an advocate for active forest management. And by that I […]